The Healthy Smoker Myth Is Indeed Just A Myth

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The healthy smoker myth is indeed, just a myth with no proof whatsoever to counter the facts that it brings a lot of damaging health conditions for the body.

People should stop justifying their habits with the healthy smoker myth.

In a study published recently in the journal Jama Internal Medicine, scientists claim that smoking is taking its terrible toll on human societies as health statistics on the impacts of smoking continue to rise.

“We live happily in the world thinking that only a small percentage of people who smoke get this devastating disease,” says study author Dr. Elizabeth Regan from the National Jewish Health in Denver, “however, the lungs of millions of people in the United States are negatively impacted by smoking, and our methods for identifying their lung disease are relatively insensitive.”

One of the most common health impacts of smoking is COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that could lead to serious lung conditions and even lung cancer.

Another study from The New England Journal of Medicine supports the study of Regan’s team specifically pointing out COPD as a common effect of smoking and may soon claim the lives of many sufferers even further complicated with the onset of lung and respiratory diseases, including cancer.

Both studies argue that the damaging effects of smoking far outweigh the benefits that it brings to the senses. Thus, it is better to stay off it and quit before it’s too late.

Nearly one in every five American adults smoke cigarettes and although awareness on the impacts of smoking to heath is widespread, many people are still not sold out on the many ideas being touted to the public on the concerns or dangers of smoking.

This may be one of the primary reasons why a lot of people still fail to kick the smoking habit for lack of concrete or justifiable reasons that would drive them to challenge their addiction to smoking.

However, since smoking is a lifestyle habit and needs the mental and emotional resolve of the subject, the government and cause-oriented organizations could only do so much to campaign and drive for efforts to put a stop to smoking.

In the United States, 17 out of 100 adults from 18 and above have smoked cigarettes, equating to 40 million adults all over America, showing proof that the healthy smoker myth does not hold water.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking is also the leading cause of preventable death and diseases in the USA, responsible for more than 480,000 deaths annually and makes up 20% of all reported deaths.

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Google Search Engine Playing Doctor May Soon Help With Prognosis

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This after Google made an announcement that it will partner with the Mayo Clinic and the Harvard School of Medicine to initially develop the Google search engine playing doctor to people.

Google search engine playing doctor to give accurate prognosis

In a breakthrough concept that will revolutionize the field of medicine, Google developers hope to accurately provide information on what could be ailing you.

Developers are planning to integrate the data into Knowledge Graph feature of the giant tech company initially within the Google search engine interface.

The company plans to leverage on accurate prognosis of conditions based on a summary of questions that people searching online will be answering.

Google product manager Veronica Pinchin says that 1 percent of searches in Google are for symptoms, which makes up more than millions of searches that relates to health and ailments.

Although the information that it provides may be important and more accurate than it was before, the main purpose is for a better understanding and awareness of symptoms that may be affecting someone.

“Symptom search (like all medical information on Google) is intended for informational purposes only, and you should always consult a doctor for medical advice,” Pinchin writes in the blog post.

Surprisingly, the internet has not just become the go-to tool for research data, but also becomes a veritable source of information available for analysis.

This after Microsoft finds clues for cancer from people sharing their personal information online via blogs, self-help sites and even feedback websites where people share their symptom, photos and any available information that people could give away their health profiles.

The study group composed of Microsoft researchers Dr. Ryen White and Dr. Eric Horvitz and Columbia University graduate student John Paparrizos said they hope that this innovative approach could help provide early detection of cancer and other deadly diseases by means of analyzing medical-related information shared on the internet.

“We asked ourselves, ‘If we heard the whispers of people online, would it provide strong evidence or a clue that something’s going on?’” Dr. Horvitz said.

They initially focused their searches using Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, and targeted their efforts on a patient diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and traced back entries online by the patient to see if the patient was experiencing symptoms prior to diagnosis, with the belief that early search queries can trigger warning signs of an impending disease.

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Evidences Link Answers To Question “Do Fish Have Feelings?”

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Author Jonathan Balcombe, director of animal sentience for the Human Society Institute for Science and Policy, believes that there is proof to show that humans are indeed closer to understanding the nature of fish and how they live.

Do fish have feelings? Yes

Balcombe, who spent years studying the nature and behaviour of fish, says that science has indeed found ways to show proof that fish do have feelings,

“Thanks to the breakthroughs in ethology, sociobiology, neurobiology and ecology, we can now better understand what the world looks like to fish,” says Balcombe.

Balcombe points out that fish is equipped with a sense of conscious awareness called ‘sentience’ that lets them feel pain, be able to recognize facial images and even memory.

This, Balcombe says, may be something that man needs to consider moral implications of how humans farm and catch fish.

“We humans kill between 150 billion and over 2 trillion fishes a year. … And the way they die — certainly in commercial fishing — is really pretty grim and there’s a lot of change that would be needed to reflect an improvement in our relationship with fishes,” says Balcombe.

In his new book, What A Fish Knows: The Inner Lives Of Our Underwater Cousins, Balcombe argues that aside from his studies, many of the findings are also corroborated by studies made by many scientists on studies about marine life.

One such example is the zebra fish, where they were made to choose between two environments – one lush and the other barren – where the fish chose the lively environment.

Then researchers began to intervene by injecting small amount of an acidic solution and some with a saline solution for which the pain was only caused by the needle prick. The researchers then added an antiseptic solution in the barren part of the tank and some of the fish injected with the pain-inducing acid began to swim to the medicated area.

Another study also shows that fish are able to identify human facial images. A recent study involving archerfish were able to identify human facial images that were the subject of their exposure for days. The fish were then able to accurately target the images 80 percent of the time.

Balcombe added that this awareness may be able to spark interest and probably some measures on how fish are being caught or raised in farms and be able to apply some moral factors and measures as indeed there’s proof to answer the question do fish have feelings.

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Breaking Myths About Fats And Understanding Why

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People want to lose fat and cut it from their diets.  True, but it is entirely different when you talk about body fat and dietary fat. In fact, the body needs fat and the need to debunk the myths about fat is important to promote better health.

Myth: Fat is Not Functional

Many weight loss diets call for avoiding fat from the diet because dietary fat is the most calorie-dense macronutrient at 9 calories per gram. And while many believe it is the storage form of energy that accumulates as body flab, it actually offers many functional roles in the body that aid in cardiovascular health, cognitive function, bone health and immunity from sickness.

Fats are incorporated into the cell membranes to provide insulation helps signal molecules and transports fat-soluble nutrients and vitamins together with building blocks and essential compounds. Having the right amounts of healthy fat as well as its quality is essential for the body.

Myth: You need more Omega 6 fats compared to anything else

Essential Fatty acids are categorized into two forms, Omega 3 and Omega 6. Both contain double bonds along the carbon chain and provide helpful benefits for the body. Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory while Omega 6 are pro inflammatory. Truth is, you just need enough of both fatty acids in your body, which is important to strengthen the body’s immune system and also prevents symptoms of inflammation in the body.

Myth: coconut oil as superfood

Recent studies have shown that although coconut oil contains significant amounts of medium chain fatty acids, it does not have much effect on weight lost or fat-burning capabilities for the short term. Yes. Long term effects can be gleaned over time, but using coconut oil in cooking food did not contribute much to altering body measurements, muscle mass, body-fat percentage or even weight.

Myth: Only have two eggs every week

This has been an oft-debated topic for many, claiming that eggs are too fatty and contains a lot of calories and cholesterol. This is one of the reasons why many athletes avoid whole eggs in their diet.

The egg white is a complete protein source containing high amounts of protein and essential amino acids while the yolk is rich in choline that is good for cognitive health and the essential amino protein leucine that helps activates muscle protein synthesis.

Myth: Low Fat means healthy

This turns out to be a labelling trick by food manufacturers. When fat is totally removed from food it also removes the taste that makes it delicious and tasty. Low fat labels do not usually tell what sort of fat it means as part of the ingredient, which could either be fat from food or added fat.

Eat fat to lose fat

In fact, the body needs to consume fat to be able to lose weight. Sounds weird? In fact, the body works in a way that the fat collected in the belly, buttocks or thighs need to have new fat introduced into the body to produce the fat-burning hormone adiponectin to burn excess fat in the body. It also aids in developing essential enzymes in the body to burn carbohydrates in the body.

Fats can also help curb your appetite by feeling full longer and prevents you from eating more. Low-calorie diets often end up causing you to feel hungry in a short time after your last meal. The sensation of hunger in your stomach also produces hormones that stimulate craving and unless you have the mental resolve and discipline of a full-pledged body builder or trainer, you can end up standing in line at your favourite fast food chain.

The body needs fat to absorb nutrients and vitamins from numerous food products because some these nutrients are fat-soluble, which means they do the body no good if it comes into contact with water instead of fat. Essential vitamins like Vitamins K, A,D,E, just to name some, are fat-soluble, thus can only be absorbed into the body when mixed with fat.

Fat is a better source of energy than carbohydrates, for which the latter is more responsible for getting into trouble with endocrinal conditions like diabetes and other kidney- related disorders. Nature has designed the body to fuel metabolism through fat rather than carbohydrates, as it goes through a more complex process before it gets broken down into energy for the body.

So make sure to always aim for healthy fats like vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives, avocados, fish and other seafoods.

Fats to avoid are fatty meats, processed meats, pies, butter, cakes and biscuits with high sugar content and cream.

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Awesome Moves To Boost Your Booty

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A well-shaped butt is a sign of good muscle conditioning, but that won’t be a difficult problem with exercises that boost your booty perfectly.

Power moves to boost your booty

The glutes is one of the most noticeable body part that gets a lot of attention, both in the aspects of fitness and aesthetics. You may not be aware but your buttocks is a muscle  group that needs to be worked out to get its fuller shape and firmer build. Here are some tell-tale symptoms of poorly shaped buttocks and your muscles are not doing their job as expected

Knee joint discomfort. This is usually characterized by pain in the knees, which are likely signs that the glutes as well as your hamstrings are not properly utilized or may be experiencing some sort of a health condition that could require medical attention.

Awkward mechanics. Judging by the discomfort or awkward sensation that you get when doing your hinge, squat or lunge mechanics, your glutes may be doing its job as well. You see signs of it with significant anterior knee shift, lack of hip hinge mechanics. Knees collapsing forward, difficulty in doing a screwing motion of the feet on the floor, among others, are signs that the glutes are dysfunctional.

Weak feet and ankles. This may also be manifested by of balance and stability when lifting weights.

If you need to analyze your glutes’ performance, there are ways to analyze if it is working up to speed or not, your gym trainer may be able to assist you with several sets of exercises and activities that will determine the types of routines you need for your effective butt workout.

Here are some ways your gym trainer may advise you to do;

Work your glutes from both the contracted and stretched positions, Reason being that your glutes and hamstrings are maximizing their full range of motion.

Varied pull-through hinge mechanics, as this applies horizontal force and resistance to allow the glutes with significant tension for both horizontal and vertical resistance.

Improve spinal alignment and posture. This helps provide balance and targeting the right glute and hamstring muscles accordingly.

Maximize the use of squat exercises. from Bulgarian squats, split squat and weighted lunges, it will help provide both resistance and tension for the glutes

Here are moves to boost that booty of yours;

Squat to double pulse lunge- holding 10 to 15 lb weights,stand with feet apart shoulder level. Lower the hips until they are parallel to the floor. Push with the heels and return to standing position. Step with the left foot back and come into a lunge. Hold for 2 seconds and pulse twice.

Cross lunge to squat- using the same weights, start by standing with the right leg crossed behind the left, lower to a curtsy with the ball of the left foot. Push with the left heel to stand then drop to a squat.

Pelvic thrust – lie on the floor face up and place feet shoulder width apart on a bench placing both hands on the hips. Push the pelvis up with the heels and hold at the top for 2 seconds. Go down through a 5 to 10 count movement while stopping an inch above the floor.

When you start having your well-shaped booty formed and firmed, you need to maintain a good and consistent exercise routine to keep it in shape and your effective indicator that your are properly doing your workouts right. So make sure to work on these exercises consistently to boost your booty in no time.

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Sleeping Twice Per Day Is Good For The Body

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This after scientists revealed that sleeping twice per day – one full night’s rest and a leisurely nap – during the day can bring a lot of health benefits.

Sleeping twice per day can lead to long life

Australian researchers Melinda Jackson, senior researcher at the RMIT University and Siobhan Banks- senior research fellow at the Center for Sleep Research at the University of Australia, claimed that having two sleep periods in a day can help increase performance, alertness and creativity throughout the day instead of having extended waking periods the allows sleepiness to build up resulting to reduced productivity.

They claimed that a look back in history revealed that there is proof that sleeping twice a day used to be a norm practiced in different periods throughout the generations. It was only during recent times that sleeping was reduced to one single period with increasing work demand and drive for productivity in the workplace.

One classic example is the Spanish quintessential siesta- a traditional two to three hour break that starts around 2 in the afternoon and used for naps.

Only recently Spanish residents were in an uproar when the prime minister of Spain wanted to put an end to siesta breaks. Many claimed that the body clock naturally ‘craves’ for a siesta as a result of the reduction in mental and physical alertness in the early afternoon.

Jackson and Banks said that among the benefits of sleeping twice in a day allow for more work flexibility, family time, reduces risks of insomnia and enhances performance, however, the researchers cautioned about the downsides of it.

The timing needs to be right as the sleep session does not mean to just getting into bed would let you fall asleep right away and consume the entire time in a sleep phase which could eventually end up less effective than expected. Besides, a two to three-hour nap time do not usually bid well for the American workplace.

Some corporations, however, have started to embrace the value of a good nap-time during the day. Arianna Huffington, founder and president of Huffington Post agree with the concept of workplace napping.

“Sleep makes us more productive, creative, less stressed and much healthier and happier. Even a 20-minute nap in the middle of the day can make a huge difference. I grew up thinking that if you work around the clock, you are going to be more effective, and I realize that is not true,” Huffington added.

Image Credit: Researchers say sleeping twice a day is good for you – NBC News

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Parents Advised Not To Bring Up Childrens Weight Issue

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This, after a recent study published in the journal Eating and Weight Disorders revealed that comments about children’s weight issue is have been identified as predictors of unhealthy eating habits , binge eating and other negative behaviours related to eating problems and conditions.

Parents should better not discuss children’s weight issue

This has often been the predicament of parents when often faced with a situation whether they want to break it to their children about their weight especially when faced with mounting concerns of over eating or irregular eating patterns.

The findings of the study revealed that parents should never make comments about a child’s weight, even if it is meant as an advice to ‘shed off fat’ as it can contribute to a child- especially among young girls- regarding a chronic dissatisfaction with her body- even if the child is not close to being overweight or obese.

Rebecca Puhl, deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut said that this “longitudinal research shows it can have a lasting impact.”

“Parents who have a child who’s identified as having obesity may be worried, but the way those concerns are discussed and communicated can be really damaging,” says Puhl,

Puhl said that their study shows that this condition is more damaging towards girls due to their increased exposure “to so many messages about thinness and body weight” which generally becomes the stereotype of women especially on appearance.

“Oftentimes women’s value is closely linked to their appearance. If parents don’t challenge those messages, they can be internalized,” Puhl said.

The study covered more than 500 women aged between 20 to 30 who were asked to answer a survey regarding their perception of their bodies and recall how often their parents commented about their weight.

Regardless of whether they were overweight or not, the participants who recalled comments by their parents were those who believe that they needed to lose between 10 to 20 pounds, even when they showed no signs or indications of being overweight.

One of the authors of the study, Dr. Brian Wansink said the study revealed the parent’s comments had a ‘scarring influence” on the children.

“We asked the women to recall how frequently parents commented, but the telling thing was that if they recalled it happening at all, it had as bad an influence as if it happened all the time,” said Dr. Wansink, who is also the author of the book “Slim by Design” adding that a “few comments were the same as commenting all the time. It seems to make a profound impression” for which parents are cautioned to never bring up children’s weight issue at all.

Image Credit: Parents Should Avoid Comments on a Child’s Weight – New York Times 

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